Refrigerating apparatus having receptacle secured to door



y 1950 w. GIFFARD REFRIGERATING APPARATUS HAVING RECEPTACLE SECURED TO DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 15.. 1947 IN VEN TOR. WHITNE'Y GIFFHBD fl'r TOENE'Y May 30, 1950 w. GIFFARD 2,509,592

REFRIGERATING APPARATQS HAYING RECEPTACLE SECURED* TO DOOR Filed Aug. 15. 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W a, W HTTOEZNEY Ptented May 30, 1950 REFRIGERATING APPABATUS HAVING RE- CEPTACLE SECUBED TO DOOR Whitney Giffa'd, Detroit, Mich., assigor to Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Micl., a. corporation of Maryland Application August 15, 1947, Serial No. 768918 z Claims. 1

This inventior relates generally to refrigerating apparatus and more particularly to household refrigerators.

It is an object of the present invention to provide househcld refrigerators having improved arrangements .so as to utilize emciently the available space within refrigerator cabinets.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement in a refrigerator so that the stored contents of a compartment thereof is conveniently accessible.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawngs, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional View of a household refrigerator embodyng features of my invention;

F'g. 2 is a horizontal, sectional View of the refrigerator, taken along the line 2-2 of Flg. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional View of a modified form of refrigerator, embodyirg features of the invention;

F'g. i is a horizontal sectional View of the modified form of refrigerator, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatical view of a. refrigerating system which may be used with either of the refrigerators.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 there is shown a refrigerator cabinet, designated generally by the numeral 20. The cabinet preferably includes a metal casing 22 and a metal liner 24. Insulation 25, which may be of any suitable type, is interposed between the corresponding top, rear, side and bottom walls of the easing 22 and of the liner 24 to reduce heat leakage into the cabinet. A horizontal partitlon or shelf 26, within the cabinet 20, cooperates with the liner 24 to form an upper food storage compartment 28 and a lower food storage compart- 30 relative to the humidity of compartment 28. This high humidity compartment I! is provided for the storage and preservation of fresh vegetables. The food storage compartments 28, Il are closed at the front of the cabinet, in the present construction, by a single access door 32 which extends substantially from top to bottom of the cabnet. This door 32 is hinged, as at 34. preferably to one side of the cabinet.

In order that food stufis may be conv eniently stored in the high humidity compartment 30 and be conveniently accessible upon opening of the door 32, I provide a food storage recep tacle or bin 36 and mount the bin on the inne-r side of the door 32. By this arrangement. the bin E moved out of the cabinet when the door 32 is opened, making it convenient to store vegetables in and/or to remove vegetables from the bin.

ment 30. Additional shelves SI may be provided The bin 35 may be made of sheet metali having a bottom wall 38. rear wall 40, side walls 4l, 42 and a front wall 44. The bin front wall 44 may be formed by the inner panel of the door 32. Inturned flanges 46, extending along the side and bottom walls of the bin 35, may be welded obe otherwise suitably Secured to the inner panel 44 of the door.` Spaced, partton-braces 48 are preferably provided to divide the bin 36 into several storage sections and toreinforce the bin. These partitons 48 extend between the front and rear walls of the bin and may be flanged for welding to these walls. In cross section, the bin 36 conforms in shape generally to the shape of the high humidity compartment 30 into which the bin positions. Adjacent the latch side of the door 32, the bin side wall 3! is arranged at an angle extending 'nwardlyfrom front to rear of the cabnet so that the bin will clear the door opening frame. i

A machinery compartment 52 for a refrigerant motor-compressor unit 54 is provided immediately behind the high humidity compartment !l within the coniines of the cabinet walls. The high humidity compartment 30 and the machinery compartment 52 are separated by a. wall 56 common thereto which is inclined and is part of the cabinet wall structure. This inclined wall 56 preferably Joins the cabinet bottom wall adjacent the front of the cabinet and extending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom Joins the cabinet reat wall. adjacent the horizontal partition 26. Preferably. the inclined wall II extends across the width of the cablnet and with the other walls form the freezing and machinery compartments which because of the inclined wall 'are of general triangu'lar shape in cross section. As shown, the sides of the casing 22 are extended downwardly to the base of the c'abinet so as to provide sides for the machinery compartment 52. A flue 50 may be provided for the machinery compartment 52 for inducing flow of air upwardly therethrough so as to carry away heat from the compartment. This flue 50 may be attached to the cabinet rear wall and be arranged to fon..

' in part, the machinery compartment 52.

The refrlgerating system may be of any suitable type and may include a relatively low temperature refrigerant evaporator 60 for the food storage compartment 28 and a relatively high temperature refrigerant evaporator 62 for the high humidity compartment 30. These evaporators 60, 62 may be connected together in series, preferably by a refrigerant fiow restricting tube 64 to maintain a temperature differential between the evaporators. The relatively low temperature evaporator 60 may be of any suitable type and may be Suspended within compartment 28 from the cabinet top wall by suitable brackets 65. The relatively high temperature evaporator 62 is preferably in the form of a conduit and is, attached to the outer surface of the llner '24 toabsorb heat therefrom. As shown, the evapora tor conduit 62, in sinuous or serpentine form, preferably extends along the liner portion of the inclined wall 56, adjacent the high humidity compartment 30. A refrigerant condensers operatively connected to the evaporators and to the motor-compressor unit 56 is preferably attached to the inner surface ofthe cabinet casing rear wall so as to utilize the large casing surface for dissipation of the heat of condensation. The refrigerant condenser 66, preferably a Conduit, may be arranged in sinuous form along the casing inclined wall and along the rear wall, preferably above the high hum'dity compartment 30.

Liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant condenser 66 is supplied to the relatively high temperature refrigerant evaporator 62 wherein some evaporation of refrgerant absorbs heat from the liner 24 and consequently absorbs heat from the hig h humidty compartment 3& Flow of refrigerant from the condenser 66 to the evaporator 62 may be controlled by a connecting, small diam-= eter or capillary tube 68. From the outlet of the evaporator 62 refrigerant fiows through the restricting tube 54 into the relatively low tempera= ture evaporator 60 wherein evaporation of the refrigerant cools the food storage compartment 48.' From the header 'lil-at the outlet of the evaporator 60, gaseous refrigerant is withdrawn I by and to the motor-compressor unit %through a return conduit 12.

In the modification of Figs. 3 and 4, the refrlg erator cabinet shown, like the previousiy described cabinet, includes a metal casing '34 and -a metal liner 16. 'Between the casing 14 and the liner 76, insulation 18 is interposed to decrease heat leakage into the cabinet. A partition or shelf 80 within the cabinet cooperates with the inner wall surfaces of the liner 76 to form an upper cooling or food storage compartment 92 and a lower, cooling or food storage compartment 84. In the present cabinet, the compartments 82 and 84 are'respectivly closed by a pair of hinged'doors 86 and 88. The food storage compartment door-'88 may be hinged at one side thereof to a side of the cabinet. whereas the lower food storage compartment door 88 is hinged, as at 90, at its lower edge to the bottom wall of the cabinet to swing outwardly and downwardly when opened. To the Inner side oi' the lower door 88, I secure a food storage receptacle or bin 92 which moves outwardly by and upon opening of the door for convenient accessibility to the contents of the bin. A cross mernber 94 extending horizontally along the front edge of the partition 88 is provided which presents an outer bumping and sealing surface for the seals of thecabinet doors 86 and 88. The

'upper edges of the bin sides slant downwardly and rearwardly, as at 95, so as to clear the cabinet cross member 94 when the bin and door are tilted forwardly. The cross member 94 may have an inner horizontal ledge 96 to support the partition-shelf along the front edge thereof and a rear support 98 may be provided to support the partition-shelf along the rear edge thereof. The partition-shelf preferably extends entirely across the width of the compartments 82, 84 and together with the support 94, 98 substantially prevents air circulation between compartment 82 and 84 so that by cooling the compartment 84 to a desired temperature a high humidity may beattained therein suitable for the preservation of fresh vegetables. The shelf supporting members 94 and 98 are preferably made of a low heat conductive material, such as phenolic plastic. As shown, the partition-shelf support 98 is Secured to the inclined liner portion of an inclined wall 99 which is similar to the inclined wall of the refrigerator of Figs. 1 and 2 and is common to the high humidity compartment 84 and to a machinery compartment !00 at the rear of the cab inet. The 'refrigerating system and its arrangement in the cabinet may be the same as the system of the above described refrigerator of Figs. 1 and 2 and therefore like parts of the systems are herein' designated by like numerals to avoid unnecessary repetitious description.

From the foregoing description it will be noted that I have provided an improved arrangement to eifect ready access to food stored in a compartment of a refrigerator. By the provision of the doorsupported storage bins `it will be appreciated that the foodstuffs stored therein are read'ly accessible by swinging the refrigerator doors open since this moves the entire contents of the compartments forwardly and out of the refrigerator cabinets.

Although only preferred forms of the invention have been illustrated, and those forms described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various other modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In refrigeratingapparatus, a cabinet having a liner .forming a food storage compartment and having a machinery `compartment separated from the food storage compartment by an inclined rear wall, a refrigerant evaporator engaging the outer surface of said liner along said inclined wall to absorb heat from said liner, a motor-compressor unit in said madhinery compartment operatively connected to said evaporatona door closing an accessopening in said food storage compartment hinged to one side of said oabinet, and a storage bin secured to the inner side of said door extending into said food storage compartment, said bin having an lnclined reat wall posltionlng adjacent said first inclined wall.

2. In refrgerating apparatus, a cabinet having an inclined rear wall common to a. front food storage compartment of triangular shape in cross section and a, rear machinery compartment of triangular shape in cross section, a motor-compressor in said machinery compartment. a refrlgerant evaporator in heat exchange relationship with said food storage compartment, said evaporator being operatvely connected to said motor compressor unit, an access opening in said food storage compartment, a, door closing said opening, and a food receptacle of substantially triangular shape in cross section carried by said door on the inner side thereof and posltioned in said triangular shaped food storage compartment.

WHI'INEY GIFFARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,074,438 Swedm-an Mar. 23, 1937 2,136,558 Manshel Nov. 15, 1938 2,139,441 Clarke Dec. 6, 1938 2,155,967 Carroll Apr. 25, 1939 2,280,554 Steenstrup Apr. 21, 1942 2,303,806 Wild Dec. 1, 1942 &361.792 Philipp Oct. 31, 1944 

